THE THINGS OF THE LORD
RaJean Vawter


1 Samuel 4-7 tells a story that I believe prophetic intercessors need to seriously consider. It's the story of when the Ark of the Covenant was lost in battle. Here's the progression of what happened.

1. The children of Israel lost 4,000 men in a battle against the Philistines so they came up with the idea of taking the Ark of the Covenant with them into a second round of battle.
2. They lost the battle, 30,000 men, and in the process, the Ark was captured by the Philistines.
3. Because they'd captured the Ark, the Philistines’ idol, Dagon, was destroyed and they endured seven months of rats and a deadly plague in all three cities where they took it. 
4. Finally, with fear and respect for the God of Israel, the Philistine priests and diviners came up with a way to not only get rid of the Ark, but to gain confirmation that their troubles were, indeed, caused by the God of the Israelites.
5. The Philistines received their confirmation and the Jews of Beth Shemesh rejoiced, sacrificed and worshipped when the Ark ended up in their territory.
6. Unfortunately, in spite of their joy and worship, they did not show as much respect for the Ark (the things of God) as the Philistines had, so God struck down 50,070 people.
7. In fear and with no sign of repentance, the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" And they wanted the Ark out of their sight.
8. Fortunately, the men of Kirjath Jearim personified the godly fear of the Lord and the proper respect for the things of God. They took the ark home with them where it remained for 20 years.

So, why do I think, as prophetic intercessors, we need to examine this passage for possible insights? In this current season, we've learned a lot about warfare prayer, decrees, declarations, the Courts of Heaven, and the use of physical articles or 'things' for prophetic acts. This is good and many times God has honored. But, there are also times when we don't see any positive fruit from these same efforts. One valid explanation is that God gives the results in His own timing, not ours. BUT. . . could an underlying reason have anything to do with our hearts?

• Do we 'take' God with us into battle as the children of Israel did without getting His specific direction and timing? There is no indication that the children of Israel did so. Nor is there any indication they asked the Lord why they'd lost the first battle. Did they act presumptuously?
• Do we ascribe almost “magical” powers to the things of God? That's seemingly what the children of Israel did when they took the Ark into battle. Like them, is our faith in our prophetic tools more than in God?
• Do we bless God, but, like the people of Beth Shemesh, not have the proper respect for the articles God gives us to use in our worship and warfare?

Here  are modern-day examples of our sometimes skewed thinking when it comes to the things of the Lord: 

• Can you pray with faith for someone to be healed even when you don't have a bottle of oil with which to anoint them?
• Are there specific words and phrases that you use when praying, because you believe that without them God won't answer your prayer?
• How do you treat the printed Word of God? Yes, it's WHO the Bible tells us about that we have faith in, but, since the Bible is inspired by God and is what tells us about Him, it is a holy book. Do you handle the physical book with the same respect you would if it were a priceless, ancient manuscript? 

Some could say my point is "straining at a gnat" or legalistic. I don't agree because, being convicted by the Lord, every time I pick up my Bible now, I'm aware that owning and being able to read a Bible is an incredible privilege. While it's not something to be put in a safe or on display but never touched, when we pick it up, open its pages, write notes in it or highlight some verses, do we do so with gratitude, awe or respect? I'll never forget praying for a woman in a third world country whose only request was to be able to remember scripture when it was read to her. She didn't own a Bible, and if she had one, she couldn't read her own language. Plus, her Buddhist husband wouldn't allow her to keep it. 
    
When Gary was in Russia in 1990 during Perestroika, he and his team gave away Bibles. When they were down to their last Bible Gary was making his way through a crowd of people when an old man got his attention and begged for a "Biblia." Gary didn't have one on him so he yelled to a lady on their bus, asking if there were any left. Yes! There was one! Because of the crowd, the lady tried to throw it to Gary. Unfortunately, it fell short and into the hands of someone else. Much to Gary's surprise, that someone knew it was meant for the old man and passed it forward. As the Bible made its way over the heads of the crowd of people to the old man, they all reached up just for the privilege of touching the word of God. Do we have that kind of respect for our Bibles?


I'm not talking about a legalistic attitude. As I often say, "We have a lot of grace with God, but satan is a legalist." Because of that, it is important that we follow biblical guidelines and protocols in our spiritual warfare.  Satan is constantly looking for a mistake on our part, an opening, and when he finds it, he will use it to his advantage. Too many well-meaning people rush into spiritual warfare in a haphazard manner. The truth is that respect for the power and things of God are absolutely mission critical. Psalm 144:1 lets us know that the Lord trains our hands for war. Before soldiers are sent into battle, they are carefully trained in how to handle their warfare weapons. As a result, they have great respect for their firearms. They don't handle them carelessly or use them inappropriately. So must we with all that He gives us to use. This includes not only what scriptures we apply but also what 'tools' we use - oil, water, communion elements, flags, tambourines, etc. 


One summer I was a part of a large prayer team that covered a week-long conference for college students. Divided into teams, we took turns making sure the conference was prayed for 24 hours a day, every day. One day my roommate told me that when her team began praying in the prayer tent, they realized that in their midst was a rectangular trunk with lots of stuff piled on top. Sweaters, notebooks, bags, etc. in a very hodgepodge, tacky way. "What is this?" her leader asked. When she learned that the previous team had set the trunk, covered with a throw, in the middle of the room as an altar for prophetic prayer, she immediately began to clear all the junk off. "If it's an alter, we need to treat it as such!" she exclaimed. From that point on, she made sure every team knew how the box had been used so they could show respect for how God had directed its use for every team.


The point is, the last thing any of us want to do is imitate the children of Israel when they took the Ark of the Covenant into battle as if it was a talisman or lucky rabbit's foot. Neither do we want to be like the people of Beth Shemesh who showed no respect.


With respect for the things of God, we must also guard our hearts and make sure we do what we say. Repentance is good but only if it's true repentance and not just the current spiritual trend. As Samuel told them, "If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only (1 Samuel 7:3-4).


 Return. Put away. Prepare. Serve Him. Confession of sin does not equal repentance, and repentance is not the finished work. The finished work is a heart that is doing it for God only. As the old American saying goes, "The proof is in the pudding."


If you finish reading chapter seven of 1 Samuel, you'll see that God honored their sincere repentance. Samuel stayed with them for a while, so when the Philistines once again came against them, they turned to prayer (as they should have the first time). God answered with a sign and a wonder, and with restoration and blessing. 


There are a lot of lessons in this story but the one for now is this: Let's handle the things of God with care and respect.

​

THE HUMOR OF SCRIPTURE
RaJean Vawter


After living through 20 years of surgeries, emotional pain, trauma, and disappointment, it was obvious that my life wasn't going to change any time soon. Then God spoke to me through a little sign that read, "If you don't laugh, life will laugh anyway." I put it on my refrigerator and set about finding humor wherever I could. I read a scientific article about the proven benefits of laughter each day. I became an avid reader of the Sunday comics. I purposely chose TV shows and movies that made me laugh. I read the Bible with Proverbs 17:22a in mind. ("A merry heart does good like medicine.") In the process, I discovered something that was new to me at the time. I already knew that life is often very hard but that God is always there to fight for us. The new thing I discovered was that, if we're open, He'll come with a sense of humor. And when we recognize the humor of God, we'll end up laughing. Or at least we'll chuckle. Let me give you some examples. 

Jesus told a group of fishermen that He'd turn them into fishers of men. Can you imagine their first reaction? Imagine looking over the side of a boat into a fishing net you've just brought up from the sea and in it are all sizes and colors of people squirming and jumping around like the fish do when they are caught. 

Then there was the time the disciples had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus came along and told them to fish on the other side of the boat. Yeah, right. Like they hadn't fished on both sides of the boat or hadn't turned the boat around during the night. 

How about when Jesus accused people of straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. Can you picture someone actually doing that and not knowing they'd done it? 

Read the Gospels as if you were writing a musical. There are at least two stories you could use for comic relief. One is the story of a hated, but powerful, businessman who is so short he can't see over the crowd to catch a glimpse of Jesus coming into town. But he wants to see Jesus so badly, he throws away his dignity and his concern for what people will think and climbs up in a tree with his bare legs showing. 

Or how about the time Jesus came to a home in Capernaum, people crowded all around Him, and in walks two blind men? How did they find Him? And how many houses did they bang into before they found Him?

Jesus loved to laugh and have a good time. I believe He was laughing (or chuckling at least) when He told His disciples, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13) The contrast is truly laughable.

Jesus loved parties. It didn't matter if the party was in His honor or not. He liked them. He had a good time at the party Zacchaeus gave for Him. He was thrilled when Matthew threw a party to celebrate his job change from tax collector to following Jesus full time.

Jesus gave us the example of creating a good time of clean fun as a tool to relieve stress and pain. Just think about the beginning of His ministry. He'd had a tough season. He left home and all that was familiar. He spent 40 days in the desert with no food or water, wrestling with the devil. Then He calls a bunch of know-nothing Galileans. He changes their job and in the process, that changes His job as He suddenly has to deal with a bunch of puppy-dog people following Him around everywhere, asking inane questions. It's not easy.

So what does He do? What are His options?

1. He could go into the desert to pray and fast like John the Baptist would do. John and Andrew would understand that choice.
2. He could go do something, take on a project of some kind. Peter would like that. Action!
3. He could settle everyone down under a fig tree and call for a period of meditation and contemplation. That was a typical Jewish thing to do and Nathanael especially would like that.
4. He could go visit another country, for a change of pace and scenery. Leave Galilee.

What does Jesus do? Well, He has a fifth option. Mind you, He is not well-known yet, but He does have an invitation. Remember, as far as anyone in Nazareth knows, He's just a regular guy who went to the synagogue, worked in a workshop, and hung out. His faith made Him like people and people generally liked Him back. But He'd been given an invitation to a wedding. It would mean a long walk of 90 miles but off He went. Why? He didn't go because He knew they'd run out of wine. He didn't go to show off what He could do. The people getting married didn't even know what He could do. He didn't go to hijack the wedding and use the occasion to preach. So what is left? I think He wanted to have fun, to sample the food, act silly dancing around with other men while holding the bridegroom seated in a chair up over their heads. He knew He needed to laugh.

And Jesus knew how to laugh. He liked to laugh. And He created occasions for laughter.

Just think about how Jesus came to earth. Previously, God came to earth with the flaming swords of Eden, He flooded the globe, He rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. But now He comes as a baby? A baby that has to be carried, fed, changed, rocked, bathed and burped?

And His parents? This is a funny story if there ever was one. For the Creator of the universe to choose to be born to a couple like them? Mary was a peasant girl with a crush on a guy named Joe. Joe was a carpenter. He wore a nail belt, had rough hands and sawdust in his hair. He had no job security, so was dependent solely on the whims of the community. More than likely, his shop was on street level and the family lived in a basement type cave under the shop. And this is where God is going to grow up and have supper every night?

How about the Apostle Paul. He was a Christian-killer who turned into a Christian leader. Then he was a preacher who became a prisoner. He became an old man. The churches he worked so hard to establish would all eventually die. He was sick. And yet the humor and purpose of God caused Paul's thoughts and actions to influence the teaching of every school within 200 years. They've been read in thousands of languages and impact every major creed, read by every major figure in the world. All this from an old man with bad eyes, who was in prison for an odd faith. Folks, you just can't make this stuff up.

Look at some of those Old Testament stories with fresh eyes.

• "How are ya going to deal with that giant, David?" "Well, you see, I've got this little rock . . ."
• What'cha goin' ta do 'bout them Philistines, Samson? "Oh, I'm just going to use this donkey's jawbone . . ." "What makes you think you can do anything with that?" "It'll work 'cuz I have long hair." Yeah. Right.
• "Ezekiel, we've got this eyesore on the edge of town. What do you think we ought to do about it?" "Oh, you mean that valley full of dry bones? Don't worry about them. I'll just prophesy over them and they'll grow flesh and skin again. Then I'll just tell the four winds to breathe on them and they'll come to life again. So just put your bulldozers away, guys. Those bones will just get up and walk out of that valley by themselves. Problem solved."
• Joseph's brothers got jealous of their little brother so they sold him into slavery. That's not funny. Later, Joseph is the one who literally saves their lives by providing them food and shelter. That's not funny either; it's nice. Years and years go by with the brothers living under Joseph's protection. But the moment their father, Jacob, dies, the brothers become so scared they get silly and start whining, "Joseph, Daddy said to be nice to us." That's ironically funny.

Can you see how the scriptures are just full of some really good comedy writing? Humor with a purpose and a lesson. Funny stories about how God, in His own humorous way, brought healing and hope to hopeless, painful people and situations? Psalm 2:4 lets us know that God sits in the heavens and laughs. Do you hear Him? What's He laughing about today?

​

​JUSTICE
RaJean Vawter
 
Justice is a word that's being used a lot these days. We pray for justice, cry out for justice and even demand justice. But what is it exactly? Biblically?
 
As you might expect, justice is all about the God Who created this world. All His ways are justice for He is a God of truth and without injustice, righteous and upright is He (Deuteronomy 32:4). His justice is always carried out with mercy because He does not cast aside His merciful nature when He carries out justice on the earth. But His ways are not our ways and we do not always (or even usually) see from His perspective or from His vantage point. That's why we must continually come up higher and experience more consistently being seated with Him in the heavenlies. This is a practical necessity for life in the Spirit. To do this, we must be fed by the Spirit. And we are fed by the Spirit when He brings to our remembrance all things that He said to us (John 14:26).
 
Reading and hearing the Bible spoken is a prerequisite for the Spirit to bring to our remembrance what Jesus has said and give us understanding. There's nothing wrong with studying it. But too much of what people often call studying scripture is simply reading and learning what man has to say. This is good, of course. If it weren't I wouldn't be going to the trouble of writing up and sending out a Lesson of the Month. After all, God likes to use people to enlighten and encourage the hearts and minds of others. But, hearing and learning from others is not supposed to be our primary source of revelation. God wants to be our primary source! He can teach even the slowest-witted person. We just need to allow the Holy Spirit more opportunities to do his job in us by being in the Word ourselves.
 
Learn the word. Eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and all times in between. I've often told people who can't read to just concentrate on learning only one passage at a time. I tell those who can read, to read scripture to others. When we visited the Bible School in Wales where Rees Howells led the students to pray for victory during World War II, his son conducted daily chapel by "simply" reading the Bible out loud. There was no preaching, just the reading of God's word. What would happen if that were to take place from our pulpits? Gary and I attended a retreat for pastors and ministry leaders where the guest speaker simply walked among the gathered group, quoting the Sermon on the Mount from memory. It was so powerful, people were moved by the Spirit, convicted of sin, and shown seemingly unrelated truth. Isn't that what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do? (John 16:7-11).
 
Now, have I gotten off on a rabbit trail? Is the reading of God's Word connected to justice? Yes! God is a just judge (Psalm 7:11). Since He is just and is also the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14) then justice, true justice is not just God's nature, it is He, Himself (Acts 7:52; 3:14; 22:14). He sits on the throne and judges in righteousness (Psalm 9:4). Justice and righteousness cannot be separated. For the word of the Lord is right, and His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice. . . (Psalm 33:4-5). Look at history. Watch the events being played out in the world today. You will see the truth of this scripture as you see God's goodness working righteousness and justice. That is why God is able to laugh at the nations who devise vain things (Psalm 2:1-4). Righteousness and justice are why He brings the counsel of the nations to nothing and the plans of the peoples of no effect (Psalm 33:10-11).
 
My righteousness is like the great mountains and My judgments are a great deep (Psalm 36:6).
I will bring forth justice for truth and I will not  fail or be discouraged until such time as I have established justice in the earth (Isaiah 42:3-4).
 
So, if God has determined not to get discouraged, so should we. He is in the process of bringing forth justice with greater speed than ever before. When justice is established in the gate (of authority), His graciousness follows (Amos 5:15) for He is the very justice that is positioned in the gate! It cannot happen apart from His presence! He is the One who pleads the case of the people and He is the One who executes justice for us (Micah 7:9). When the prophet called for justice to run down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream, he was crying for God's presence (Amos 5:24).
 
So, how do we bring about justice in the practical affairs of everyday life? Speaking at Notre Dame, Attorney General William Barr gave the following advice concerning bringing about justice. He said,  ". . . the first thing we have to do to promote renewal is to ensure that we are putting our principles into practice in our own personal private lives....This is tough work. It is hard to resist the constant seductions of our contemporary society. This is where we need grace, prayer, and the help of our church."  
 
What?! Deal with our own unjust thoughts and actions before demanding justice from others? Doesn't that sound like Matthew 7:3-5? You know, the guy with the beam in his eye trying to take a splinter out of the eye of another? 
 
Here is what God has shown in Zechariah 8:16-17 that we are to do:
 
1.      Speak each man the truth to his neighbor.
2.      Give judgments in our gates (places of authority) for truth, justice and peace.
3.      Let none of us think evil in our head against our neighbor.
4.      Do not love a false oath. (Have integrity)
 
For all these things are things that I hate," says the Lord
 
 
 
If you appreciate these monthly lessons, donations for the on-going work of this ministry may be sent to Vawtermark Ministries, Inc. 5889 VZCR 2602, Canton, TX 75103

 

STEADY
RaJean Vawter


In the midst of the turbulence in the world today, the one word God has spoken to my heart has been "Steady." OK, so I know the old adage, "Steady as it goes," and I quickly recalled how the Ark of the Covenant wasn't held steady as it was being carried contrary to the ordinance of God (2 Samuel 6:1-10). But what does it actually mean in the very practical, day-to-day, nitty-gritty of our lives?


When I put the word into my E-Sword computer program it came up with only one reference. And that was Exodus 17:12. But Moses' hands became heavy. And they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.


OK, so the act or character trait of being steady has to do with receiving the service of others when we're trying to fulfill a particular job God has given us to do. Got it. And, for the most part, I think the church understands this too. At least the Remnant Bride does. But what else? According to Strong's Concordance, the word used in this passage literally means firmness, figuratively - security, and morally-fidelity. It is tied to truth and faithfulness.


Whoa! Now we've gone from preaching to meddling (as the old expression goes). Truth is something we're often in short supply of, even within the church. We're firm about the truth that Jesus is Lord, the only begotten Son of God, and that the only way to the Father is through His Son. But the rest of our individual doctrine and belief systems are sometimes kind of wobbly. We've become very good at picking and choosing what scriptures we believe and what ones we ignore. 


For example . . .
The current Dominion doctrine and practice of making declarations over a person or situation is sometimes beyond the totality of scripture. YES! God did give our first parents, Adam and Eve, the command to "have dominion over . . . every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:28). And that command has never been rescinded.  We also know that "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). And finally, Jesus Himself said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you" (Luke 17:6). These are all scriptures we can stand on to keep us steady. The problem comes when we apply one of these kinds of  verses and ignore others that have to do with the same subject. There is, after all, the truth that "ALL scripture. . . is profitable for doctrine. . ." (2 Timothy 3:16). (Emphasis mine) Meditate on 1 John 5:14-15 with "according to His will" underlined.


Taken to the extreme, the practice of camping on one verse while ignoring other related biblical truths, is deceptive or, as a teacher I recently read wrote, an act of treason against God which is against His truth. Yikes! A very popular example is how many will slap "by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5) on a sick person while ignoring the entire book of 1 John which talks about the "blessing" of suffering. Please understand me . . . of course we are healed of both physical and emotional sicknesses by the stripes of Jesus. The problem is that the scriptures don't tell us whenthat will happen in earth time or how! It not only ignores the seven reasons scripture gives for why humans become sick in the first place (which often shows us how to pray), it leads to the awful doctrine that if a person isn't healed immediately they don't have enough faith. This is not just awful, it is a form of spiritual emotional abuse. Years ago, I had a friend who was asking everyone in the church to pray for her uncle who was facing a leg amputation. When the leg finally had to be removed, she pointed the finger at the family's assumed unbelief which made her angry. My thought was, "That's not the God I serve!" I questioned . . . What was God actually doing in her uncle's life? Is it possible that the man didn't need a miracle healing? Perhaps what he needed was an "out in the Name of Jesus." Or a curse removed. Or, or, or.


I call it spiritual abuse because it often leads to depression, hopelessness and/or anger toward God for not acting like our own private genie we can pull out of our pocket to do whatever we want, when we want it. Some people even question, "Why me?" "Why do I have to suffer like this?" A truthful response would be, "Why not you? Why not me? What makes one person more special than the many others who are suffering with illness? What don't we understand about living in a world of suffering because of thousands of years of rebellion, sin and iniquity piled up against God?" Somehow, each of us must - or needs to - obtain a balance between the reality of life in a fallen world and the rights and privileges - and authority - we have in Christ Jesus. This is a prerequisite for being steady.


To use a friend's expression, "True truth" will always lead us to faithfulness which will make us steady. Not having the power to snap our fingers, say the right prayer or pour enough anointing oil on ourselves or another can give us:
·       a wobbly walk
·       a judgmental attitude 
·       or cause us to lean more heavily on the Lord and just trust Him. 


It's our choice. In the days and year ahead, if we don't develop a balanced theology on how to apply scripture on any particular issue in a practical life situation, we will not be steady. 


Let me give you some examples of people who found the balance and were able to be steady in faith in spite of the enigma of life, scripture or practical experience, and ended up with victory.
·       The Apostle Paul, a father to all Christendom. He was full of faith and truth. Able to perform amazing miracles, he nevertheless, was unable to heal his dear friend and companion Epaphroditus who nearly died (Philippians 2:25).
·       Stephen was a man "full of faith and power" yet he died an untimely and involuntary death (Acts 6:8, 58-60).
·       Simeon waited his whole life for the "consolation" of Israel but didn't give up his faith even as he aged (Luke 2:25-32).
·       Hebrews 11 gives a long list of godly men and women who hung onto the promises of God even while enduring much suffering, persecution and death. They were steady to the end.


Does all of this challenge you? It does me! I've been asking myself, "Does my doctrine support a faith steady enough to live victoriously through days, months or even years of what Jesus predicted life would be like in Luke 21:9-17? War. Earthquakes. Famine. Pestilence. Fearful sights and signs. Persecution. Prison. Betrayal. Hatred. We can't afford to close our eyes and pretend these promised predictions aren't there or will happen in the far, far-away future but definitely not to ourselves. Are we even preparing for such seeming powerlessness and defeat?


The Ark of the Covenant is, today, the Word of God carried in our hearts. Make sure it's steady by carrying it faithfully and truthfully according to the whole council of God. Remember: Steady does it. In the meantime, "Exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).

​ANGELS
Part 1
RaJean Vawter
 
“Thinking Christians need to move from feeling to fact on the issue of angels.” 
Kenneth O. Gangel. “Kindred Spirit” 1995 Vol. 19, No. 2, p. 7. A DTS publication.
 
I first realized I could see angels in the early 80s. I used to have a classically-trained, three-octave singing range. In my 20s, I learned how to play the autoharp so I could accompany myself in praise music. One day, while visiting a friend, I began to play and sing. My friend told me that when I began to sing, angels began to crowd through the door to listen. “Oh, I wish I could see angels,” I said. “You can, you know. Just open your eyes,” she replied. With my physical eyes, I didn't see any angels. But when I opened my spiritual eyes I saw them and have been seeing them ever since. At first I doubted myself. One day, as I was backing out of the driveway, I saw a very large 2-story angel standing in our tiny back yard. Because of my doubt, I asked Brad, my elementary-age youngest son in the back seat to look at the yard and tell me if he saw anything. Next thing I knew, he was bending down trying to look up high through the back window. And he said, “Golly, look how tall that guy is!” From that time until he acquired the skepticism of a teenager, he and I would share angel sightings. One day he came downstairs complaining of a problem. “God is in my room,” he said. “Jesus is there and so is the Holy Spirit and a bunch of angels. Mom, my room is crowded.”
 
  Warnings Concerning the Study of Angels
                             Colossians 2:8                              Colossians 2:18
                             Galatians 1:8                                II Corinthians 10:12
                             Galatians 5:26                              I Corinthians 12:7
                             I Corinthians 12:11                     Hebrews 13:5
                             I Corinthians 14:1
 
Because of these scriptures, I used to be very reluctant to tell people that I saw angels. I didn’t want them to elevate me to “super saint” status but neither did I want them to stone me. (I’ve had people do both.) The Lord changed my mind on this, however, in the spring of 1994. During Holy Week, we went to church every night. Each night, I saw more and more angels in the building. On Maundy Thursday when I peeked in the door to the nave, I could immediately tell the place was full of angels so I waited to take my seat until the very last minute. When I did, I immediately released the kneeler, knelt down with my hands together and my eyes tightly closed. “No, no,” I said. “I don’t want to see them. I only want to see Jesus. He is my only focus.”
 
“RaJean,” the Lord reprimanded. “Open your eyes! It is honoring to Me for you to watch what I’m doing!”
 
Since then I’ve paid more attention to what the angels are doing and what they look like though I often have to remind myself to look.  I have also been freer to share what I see with mature believers. I’ve learned that more people could see angels if, like I had to be told, they just opened their eyes. From what I’ve observed, people can see into the spiritual realm in different ways.
 

• With their physical eyes like they see other human beings.
• Some sense them.
• Some smell them.
• In a vision or dream (depending on if they are awake or asleep).
• By the spirit such that they are superimposed upon the tangible world. Like the famous painting of the two children crossing a bridge with an angel behind them. You can see the angel but you can also see every leaf on the trees behind him. This is the way I generally see them though I’ve seen them twice with my physical eyes. I’m often not able to see details. I’ve also learned that when we see ANYTHING by the Spirit, it may be something that God is telling us through what He’s letting us see.

 
As we know, the New Age and the occult is pushing people into the elevation and worship of angels, even to the point of using them (fallen angels disguised as angels of light) as spiritual guides. I’ve opened my mouth since 1994 because the church needs to know what the Word of God says about angels and how we are to relate to them. We need discernment so we aren’t “tossed about by every wind of doctrine” concerning this subject. I am also no longer reluctant to pray with people to be able to see the angels. Only once have I done so and the Lord gave the woman a vision of an angel’s face with a red circle around it and the standard slash mark that we all recognize as NO. She accepted that answer because, in the past, she’d dabbled in the occult and knew that if she saw God’s angels she’d also see demons. Another time, when I prayed with a man to see the angels, the Lord spoke to him (not me), telling him that he could not yet see angels because he was not fully free from all the pornography he was into before he became a Christian. On the other hand, we used to have a Spirit-filled friend who headed up a Christian, hard-rock musical group. He told us that he and his band had been asked to play a gig in Deep Elum, a section of Dallas that is totally given over to occult and new-age entertainment. He went into the bar to check it out and said it was so dark – spiritually – he was afraid to even touch anything. I immediately had a vision of him sitting on a bar stool surrounded by light even in the midst of the black environment. An angel had come in with him. And I realized that the benefit of seeing angels are when our faith is weak, we can, like Elisha’s servant; see that we’re not alone.
 
THE PURPOSE OF ANGELS
 
In Scripture, the word angel usually denotes a type of supernatural, spiritual being. These beings are used as . . 
 
MESSENGERS AND MINISTERS FOR GOD who deliver both words of comfort or instruction, and physical objects to man.
 
Hebrews 1:14 – Are they (referring to angels) not all ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Acts 27:23 – 25 – An angel encouraged Paul concerning the storm at sea so he could encourage the other men on board.
 
One summer I had to put 6 or 7-year old Brent on a plane to Nebraska by himself. Though the airline promised they’d look after him and put him in a secure room during the 2-hour layover in Denver, my mamma’s stomach was churning. As the plane took off, I saw two large angels under each wing of the airplane, holding it up. Just as it left the ground, one of the angels turned around and looked at me, waved and gave a wink. I was OK after that. And so was Brent.
 
Luke 1:11-20 – The appearance of Gabriel to Zacharias, delivering the message concerning John the Baptist.
Luke 1:28-38 – Gabriel’s appearance and prophecy to Mary.
 
Angels came to earth to prepare the way for Jesus the first time. It makes sense that he/they would do the same thing for the second coming.
 
Matthew 1:20 – An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to take Mary as his wife. Though the phrase “an angel of the Lord” is used, this could not have been an appearance of God as in the Old Testament, since God in human form was in the womb of Mary at that time.
 
Billy Graham wrote, “Angels testify to witnesses to the Gospel but  they do not preach the Gospel. They have never experienced the effect of separation from fellowship with God because of sin so are unable to preach with understanding.”
 
Luke 2:8-14 – An individual angel, then a host appeared to the shepherds.
 
When Brock, our oldest, lost his first tooth, he was terribly worried that he wouldn’t get another tooth. He hadn’t known anyone else who had lost a tooth so he was having trouble believing Mom and Dad that he’d grow another one. One afternoon, he ran up to me very excited and told me that an angel had “popped” out from behind a tree and told him not to worry, he’d get another tooth.
 
Matthew 4:11 – Then the devil left Him (Jesus); and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
 
Luke 22:42 – In the garden of Gethsemane – Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
 
Acts 8:26 – The angel telling Philip where to go to find the Ethiopian Eunuch.
 
Acts 10:3-6 – The angel giving orders to Cornelius. This was a commendation to him as well as instruction.
 
Galatians 3:19 & Hebrews 2:2, 3 – The law was ordained through angels.
 
 Kings 19:5 – The angel waking Elijah so he could eat the bread and water he’d brought.
 
Genesis 28:12 – Jacob seeing angels going up and down a heavenly ladder. This was communication.
 
Psalm 103:20, 21 – Bless the Lord; you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word; obeying the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you who serve Him doing His will.
 
Genesis 18 – Three “men” who came to Abraham and promised the birth of Isaac. They ate what was given to them, then went to look down toward Sodom. “The Lord” and “they” are used interchangeably in this chapter. The chapter ends with the men going toward Sodom while Abraham continued to stand before the Lord and bargain with Him. After the bargaining, “the Lord departed and Abraham returned to his place.” Then in 19:1 it says that the two angels came to Sodom. They stayed with Lot and forcefully removed him and his family.  A possible interpretation: Two of the “men” were angels and the third one was God in human form (Jesus).
 
"The Angel of the Lord" is a term often used in the Old Testament to describe God in human form. This conclusion is arrived at by paying attention to the context and the reaction of the people who saw and experienced the Angel of the Lord. To examine this conclusion further, check out Genesis 16:7-13, Genesis 21:17-19, Genesis 22:10-18, Exodus 3:2-4, Numbers 22:22-35, Judges 2:1, Judges 6:11-24 and Judges 13:3-23.
 
HELP MEN UNDERSTAND GOD'S PLANS 
Daniel 8:16 – And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said,  “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.”
 
Daniel 9:22 – And he gave me instruction and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.”
 
Billy Graham, p. 4 – “Angels have an overwhelming concern for the Gospel.”
 
Daniel 10:20, 21 – Do you understand why I cam to you? . . . However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth.
 
Zechariah 1:9 – Then I said, “My Lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.”
 
That week before Easter, 1994, when God told me it was honoring to Him to watch what He was doing, that Saturday night, after a day of prayer and fasting, I saw worker angels outside the windows of the church digging and pulling on the foundation. They were pulling the old foundation, which was badly cracked, out from under the church house and slid a new foundation under without any disturbance to the walls or roof. Of course this was being done in the spiritual realm but it gave me understanding about what was going on within the congregation and its leadership.
 
For a number of years, I attended a prayer group in the home of a lovely lady. One night she mentioned almost in passing that her only child, Sean, had seen an angel in the hallway between the bedrooms. When I was ready to leave, blocking the front door was a woman in the prayer group, Sean and Ty, the 11 year old son of one of the other participants. As I walked up, the woman said, "Sean, tell RaJean what you saw; she sees angels." He did and we began to talk. Making our way into Sean’s bedroom, Ty and I sat down on the bed because he had a lot of questions. As is usual, the boys asked if I saw any angels with them in the room. I did. What did they look like? When I looked at Ty’s angel and described him I knew by his appearance what was going on in Ty’s life. Keep in mind that when we see angels by the Spirit, we are seeing a manifestation of something God is wanting to tell us or make us aware of. I quickly asked God to give me the interpretation of what I was seeing. As I shared it with Ty, the Holy Spirit stepped into our conversation and Ty ended up praying to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 
 
HEAVENLY WARRIORS 
Joshua 5:13-15 – Joshua saw an angel with his sword drawn. He asked him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” The angel answered, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.”
 
II Kings 6:15-17 – When the Syrians plotted to capture Elisha they surrounded the city with an army of horses and chariots. Elisha’s servant was frightened until Elisha prayed for God to open his eyes and he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. The angels struck them blind and Elisha led them to the king of Samaria. (It is common for them to ride spirit horses. See Psalm 68:17)
 
Daniel 10:13-21 – Michael and the speaker are fighting together against the prince of Persia on Daniel’s behalf. Notice that Michael obviously had greater power than the speaker did, doing in one push what the other couldn’t do in 21 days. The speaker was an angel who gave understanding (vs. 12) but Michael, a chief prince over other angels, was more skilled ins warfare (vs. 13,21). NOTICE: There was no jealousy or competition between them. They simply helped each other do what God had gifted them each to be able to do.
 
The first time I saw warrior angels, I didn’t know that’s what they were. The week before, arriving at a service late, I’d asked the Lord to show me what was going on in the meeting. When I looked at the building as I drove up, I saw a large, beautiful, green garland around the steeple. I knew the people inside were praising God. So I began to praise and entered the chapel in the same place of praise they were in.
 
The next week, I remembered the garland, and asked the Lord to again show me what was going on. I saw an absolutely HUGE being who was in white, flowing robes. I couldn’t figure it out. Puzzled and a little troubled, I entered the chapel and saw two more beings on either side of the communion table, just like the one outside except they were shorter – only 10 or 12 feet tall.
They were naked from the waist up, with gorgeous golden skin and curly hair. They were the most beautiful specimens I’d ever seen. They had well-defined muscles and looked like weight lifters before they build themselves up so much as to look out of proportion or grotesque. They had finely chiseled features and piercing, determined eyes. I couldn’t make out what was about their loins, but I saw their legs and bare feet. Each had a tall shaft or spear in their hands.
 
I prayed all through the service, a bit troubled as to what I was looking at. I was made to know that they were guarding the body and blood of the Lord because it is a very serious thing to partake of the communion elements. Though standing perfectly still, they were watching everyone and everything very closely and were poised to spear anyone should the need arise.
 
When the pastor went behind the table and  began to prepare communion,  the angels turned toward the bread and wine and remained in that position until after communion was over. When he quoted scripture and held the bread up to break, I saw a tiny, tiny Jesus come out of the bread and stand on the table. The figure of Jesus grew and grew during the preparation for the communion until He could no longer stand on the table. At that point, He jumped down to the floor and continued to grow until He was almost as tall as the ceiling. He then spread out His hands. The custom in this church was for each person to go forward for communion, kneel at the altar rail and take the elements there on their knees. Though no one was aware of how literal it was, we all walked through Jesus as we stepped up to the altar rail. I was unable to tell anyone about this experience for several months. It was so moving to see with my own eyes, how literally we are protected by the Lord. If we didn’t come through Him, we would all have been speared for taking His body and blood unworthily since none of us is truly able to discern perfectly the Body of Christ. (I Corinthians 11:28, 29).
 
Much later, I shared this experience with a friend. Karen became very excited and said that was the same description Roland Buck had given in his book, “Angels on Assignment.” He’d been told they were warrior angels. Since then, I’ve seen them many times and have seen them fighting so I can now confirm this. 
 
When I finally paid attention to the angels during that Holy Week in 1994, I saw the warrior angels surrounding the Nave. They were tall, golden skinned, with spears in their hands. They reminded me of young Marines. They were not cookie-cutter angels who looked alike. Though all were handsome “hunks,” there were differences in their features. The ones standing inside the building, shoulder to shoulder, though standing perfectly still, had an air about them that made me realize they were “antsy.” I asked one of them why he was so antsy. He told me they’d been trained for battle and were anxious to get in the thick of it.
 
In 2008 or 9 we attended a “Starting the Year Off Right” conference put on by Glory of Zion (Chuck Pierce) in the large auditorium at North Texas University in Denton. I saw warrior angels all around the inside perimeter of “The Pit” as it's called. At the end of the conference when the crowd was commissioned, praise ascended into the heavens. The angels got excited because they knew they were now going to get to fully use their training for war.
 
Let me insert something here that, I believe though I can’t give you a scripture for it. When Satan fell, as you know, he took one third of the angels with him. That left 2/3 for God. But I don’t believe God still has only 2/3 of all the angels. Satan can’t create anything. But God is the ultimate Creator and we can easily see that there are some things He just really likes to create ‘cuz He keeps on making them. Three examples are people, stars and snow flakes. He keeps making people and no two are alike. Same for snowflakes. And the universe is seemingly endless. The Hubble telescope can't keep up with the new galaxies being created. I believe He likes making angels too and can make as many as He wants for whatever is needed. With all the people who have ever lived on planet earth and all who are here now, I don’t believe we’re limited to just the original 2/3.
 
Zechariah 1:7-21 – Some warrior angels patrol the earth and others operate as craftsmen (carpenters) who scatter, terrify, and throw down the enemy. Interesting note: The root of the word craftsmen/carpenters means “silent though at attention; to contrive secretly.” The craftsmen are the angelic beings God is using to get the scattered Jews throughout the world to go back to the Promised Land (chapter 2). So who is behind all the terrifying events that have caused Jews to once again look toward Jerusalem? The warrior craftsmen.
 
Before the 1994 March for Jesus in downtown Dallas, the sky was full of heavenly beings scurrying about. When the music began and the people began to march, the principalities and powers of the air were pushed aside, creating a heavenly path everywhere the marchers went. It was just as Hollywood depicted the Red Sea parting for the children of Israel in the movie, “The Ten Commandments.” The angels patrolled the boundary of the heavenly path that was created by praise. Later when I shared this at church, a member told me that a friend of hers had been a part of the march and had seen the very same thing. 
 
Revelation  12:7 – And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war.
 
Daniel 12:1 – Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
 
When we moved out to the country we dedicated our property to the Lord. Then, as I have for years, I invited the angels to use it as a resting place from their labors. Consequently, I often look out and see them walking about and lounging on the outdoor furniture. I would also see warrior angels guarding the property. As time passed and our ministry expanded in the area including to women fresh out of prison, the number of warrior angels increased. Especially when Gary was gone for two months to India and Africa. It was very comforting since even the local residents say we live in the “boonies.” But one day in 2014, I asked the Lord to extend the protection two miles in every direction. Fine. Good. Put it in the very back of my mind. Two years later, I queried the Lord as to why I wasn’t seeing warrior/guardian angels around the property any more. “Don’t you remember,” He chuckled. “You asked Me to station them two miles away.” Oh yeah.
 
One Sunday, a prophecy was given in church that was very heavy and quite convicting. A spirit of repentance fell upon the congregation. The next Sunday, the pastor preached from the prophecy of the previous week. Again, a spirit of repentance fell, except it was much heavier. For my part, I was really relating to Isaiah when he saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. (Isaiah 6) All I could think of was, “Oh woe is me, for I am a person of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.” Later, as communion was being prepared, I took my place behind the altar rail as pray-er. Since communion in this church required the congregation to file to the front and kneel at the altar for communion instead of passing a tray with the bread and little glasses of wine, the pastor thought this was a good time for individual prayer needs to be prayed for. So if you wanted prayer, you’d simply signal someone like me to come take your request and pray right there in the context of communion. While waiting for someone to signal me, I saw several warrior angels come up behind the rail also. They had something in their hands which I presumed to be small spears or knives. (Remember the previous story of the large warriors with giant spears). I looked closer and saw that, instead, they had syringes in their hands. “Lord, what are they going to do?” I cried. “We need the coals. Where are the coals for them to put on our lips to take our iniquity away!?” (vs. 6, 7)
 
Very quietly, the Lord responded, “For those who come to My altar with repentant hearts, the angels will insert the syringes into their hearts and draw the evil out.”
 
“But Lord, we need the coals to cleanse our lips!” I pleaded almost frantically.
 
“My dear,” God soothed “It is out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
 
Peace came, knowing that God knew what He was doing. But rest did not come to me for a day and a half. I later realized that I did not have complete rest immediately because it took a while for me to recover from the “surgery” when one of those vials had been inserted in my heart.
 
I have told this story at this point because warrior angels were the ones administering the surgical procedure. It is important to note that war is waged on many fronts, each front needing its own tactics and weapons.
 
Visiting a church in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I saw two very large, elegantly robed angels in the front of the church. Each had a variety of “tools” around him/her (?). As the people went forward for Eucharist (this was a Catholic  Church), the angels would use different “tools” as needed for each situation. It was quite fascinating. Some “tools” looked familiar – like a cup, a stone, a knife, a bowl. Other “tools” were unfamiliar to me. Please note  that this sort of thing is not the case in every church, Catholic or otherwise. I’ve been in some churches where the Spirit of God isn’t there much less any of His angels!
 
DESTROYERS 
II Samuel 24:6 & I Chronicles 21:15, 27 – The angel was ready to destroy Jerusalem when the Lord repented after David confessed his sin and the Lord told the angel to stop.
 
Acts 12:23 – An angel struck Herod when he did not give praise to God.
 
Until the final judgment (Revelation 12) the angels are not allowed to destroy Satan. They must refrain 
themselves to only scatter, confuse, hold off, overcome, keep secrets – whatever is necessary to protect God’s people. We can’t either. 
 
BEINGS WHO SURROUND GOD with praise and worship and who accompany Him in His work.
Matthew 18:27 – Jesus will come in the glory of His Father with His angels.
 
Matthew 25:31 – The Son of man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him
 
II Thessalonians 1:7,8 – Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
 
Matthew 28:1-7 – The angel Mary Magdalene saw descend from heaven and roll away the stone from in front of Jesus’ tomb and sit upon it. (This appearance is placed under this category because the angel apparently accompanied Jesus (or saw Him) when He arose from the dead.)
 
Matthew 18:10 – Children’s angels in heaven continually see God the Father.
 
Hebrews 1:6 – And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
 
Isaiah 6:2-3 – Isaiah saw the Seraphim standing above God praising Him.
 
Many people (myself included) have had visions of the heavenly throne with angels all about, praising God. On February 6, 1994, I saw two angels flying back and forth over the communion table, each one holding a banner. On one banner were the words, “victory victory.” On the other banner were the words, “glory glory.”
 
PROTECTIVE BEINGS FOR MAN 
Exodus 23:20-23 - To Moses: Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him . . ."
 
Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
 
Psalm  91:11-12 - For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. During our first trip to India, we were in the large city of Jaipur. Needing to cross a wide street, we chose to do so while traffic was stopped at a red light a short distance away. Unfortunately, I did not walk fast enough to avoid how quickly a gazillion motorcycles and cars took off the second the light changed. "Oh no!" our Hindu friend cried. But then he realized I was standing beside him. Did an angel whisk me out of the street? I didn't remember stepping up on the curb to safety; I only remembered being there.
 
Daniel 3:24 - The four "men" Nebuchadnezzar saw walking about in the midst of the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 
 
Daniel 12:1 - Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.
 
Jude 9 - Michael the archangel disputed with the devil over the body of Moses.
 
Acts 4:7-10 - The angel who appeared in Peter's prison cell, struck his side, woke him up and, giving specific orders, led him out of the prison, into the city before leaving him alone.
 
REAPERS  OR GATHERERS 
Matthew 13:39 - The tares explained) . . . and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
 
Matthew 13:41 - The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness.
 
Matthew 24:31 - And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
 
Angels as reapers and gatherers have been in greater operation since the world prayer movement began to pray that people in Moslem countries have dreams and visions to bring them to the Lord. There are also many death-bed stories of people who say they see an angel or several angels just before they leave this life.
 
The job of being a reaper or a gatherer is where we are today. These jobs weren't just needed at the time of Matthew 24. It is a job for now. We need to pray it. When you want to bring someone to the Lord, pray for God to give an angel the job of reaper to help you witness and bring that person "home." If you are one whose job is to encourage Jews to make aliyah (return to their homeland), why not ask God for an angel to help you gather them?
 
This study has been about the purpose of angels. It has listed the various jobs they do as seen in scripture. 
Part 2 will deal with the nature of angels.
 
 
 
If you appreciate these monthly lessons, donations for the on-going work of this ministry may be sent to Vawtermark Ministries, Inc. 5889 VZCR 2602, Canton, TX 75103

 
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KEEP ON KEEPING ON
RaJean Vawter


This lesson is geared for Christians who live in the Western world. There would be major changes if it were geared toward those who face persecution even to possible life or death situations. That said . . .


When it comes to all the "stuff" going on in our country plus your own personal challenges, have you ever felt like you were stuck? Trudging through sludge up to your knees? Tired of being tired?


Welcome to the club. As Christians trusting in the promises of God, sometimes it can be hard to actually believe that the "sweet by-and-by" can or could come into what I often call the "nasty now-and-now." Some days, when we hear or read one more bad report, one more tragedy, we cry out like Habakkuk, "How long?" and "Why?" (Habakkuk 1:2,3, 13, 14). Does God really answer such questions?


Of course He does. You already know that. So the real question is, "When?" When are we going to understand? OK, OK, eventually. In the "sweet by-and-by." We know that too. So, how do we handle all the unknowing  we're surrounded by?


Once again, as always, we search the scriptures for help. Here are a few that have helped me. Hopefully, they will give you comfort also - as well as a game plan for handling it all.


Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him rest (calm) from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. But judgment will return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it (Psalm 94:12-15).


LESSON: Be teachable. Instruction from the Lord will produce calmness and rest.


The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Though hail comes down on the forest, and the city is brought low in humiliation. Blessed are you who sow beside ALL waters, who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey (Isaiah 32:17-20).


LESSON: In context, calamity is all around. Yet these verses tell us to keep doing works of righteousness, sowing the seed (of God's love) no matter what the situation. In other words, don't let another person's words or actions keep you from doing what God has given you to do.


Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly. He who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from seeing evil. He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure (Isaiah 33:14b-16).


LESSON: We need to watch what we watch and censor what we hear. As we do so, we must not only keep doing works of righteousness, but we must have nothing to do with any kind of trickery, bribery or lies. This doesn't mean we should stick our heads in the sand. We need to know what's going on. But we need to make sure we listen to truth. We must speak honestly and walk what we talk.


I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren (Luke 22:32). Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15).


LESSON: Faith is confidence and can be lost; trust is commitment and can't be lost. Make your commitment to the Lord and pray for your faith to not fail even as Jesus prayed for Peter.


The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit. (Proverbs 14:8).


LESSON: When you find yourself doing something or saying something that you know is wrong, ask God to show you why you did or said that. Be willing to let Holy Spirit reveal the wickedness in your heart. What it is and how it got there. Only when we do this can we repent of specific sins, receive forgiveness and be cleansed of our wickedness as 1 John 1:9 tells us to do. General confession doesn't produce the deep cleansing that we need. We must truly understand our way. Pride tells us we're OK or that we're justified or that we don't need to know the specifics. But according to scripture, such thinking is folly, foolish and deceitful. God knows us better than we know ourselves and He says the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?(Jeremiah17:9). Most of us agree, deep down, with a little girl who was in one of my Good News classes. I was explaining what sin is. In the process, I quoted Jeremiah 17:9. From the front row, she rose up and exclaimed, "We're not that bad!" But we are. The honest person agrees with what the Bible says, not what we want to believe.


Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people - the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded My words nor My law, but rejected it. (Jeremiah 6:19) . . . Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45).


LESSON: Pay attention to what you allow yourself to think. All evil begins in the heart and grows from there. The obvious solution is to discipline our thought life. How to clean up our thoughts is the same as given above for how to understand our way. For the past 25-30 years, this has been called "Inner Healing." It is not traditional counseling; it is going deeper into the depths of the soul. If you're not familiar with inner healing, talk to someone who can direct you in the various ways you can find the roots of your evil thoughts. There are many techniques for getting to roots but make sure that all such techniques line up with scripture.


This point is so critical for each of us individually because of what is going on in our nation today. The anger in our country is palpable. We Christians are prone to anger as well. And when the devil stirs up the hate-inspired rhetoric, it is easy to respond in kind. But that's not what we're supposed to do. The way of the cross is not milk toast. The way of the cross is incredible inner strength based on who we are and whose we are. We've gotta know that or we'll just spout off what the media (whether right or left) says with the same kind of arrogant attitude. We can't afford to do this as it's incredibly costly. Besides, we'll never fix our country if we can't - or won't - fix ourselves.


CONCLUSION
We all need encouragement and help from time to time. After all, the muck we sometimes - or often - wade through is real. It is not in our imagination. Begin with these steps; do the hard work of following these scriptures and you will find yourself being able to JOYFULLY keep on keeping on.